Stubble burning | Maximum cases in Punjab; anger over farm laws among major reasons

Punjab has recorded round 74,000 incidents of stubble burning this season, the utmost in 4 years, with consultants saying anger over farm laws and the federal government not paying the Supreme Court-ordered monetary incentive to farmers could possibly be among the reasons for the spike in farm fires.

According to knowledge launched by the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre, the State recorded 73,883 incidents of stubble burning between September 21 and November 14, which is the best since 2016.

Punjab had reported 51,048 cases of stubble burning in the corresponding interval final yr and 46,559 such incidents in 2018. The variety of farm fires was 43,149 in the state throughout the identical interval in 2017.

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An official from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) stated the incidents of stubble burning hit the height between November 4 and November 7.

According to the Ministry of Earth Sciences’ air high quality monitor, SAFAR, the share of stubble burning in Delhi-NCR’s air pollution peaked to 42 % on November 5, when 4,135 farm fires have been recorded in the area.

“It was a bumper harvest this year, so the amount of crop residue was also large. Also, it was a cloud-free season as compared to last year. The biomass was drier and prone to burning.

“It also appears that the farmers are not willing to cooperate. There could be anger over farm Bills,” he stated.

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According to a Punjab authorities official, “farmers are not happy” because the ruling dispensation has not disbursed the monetary incentive to them as directed by the Supreme Court to stop stubble burning.

Following the apex court docket’s pointers to incentivise farmers to cease stubble burning, the governments of Punjab and Haryana introduced a bonus of Rs 2,500 per acre for small and marginal farmers final yr. Farmers say the motivation might help them cowl the price of gas used in working equipment for in-situ administration of stubble.

Harinder Singh Lakhowal, the final secretary of the Bharatiya Kisan Union, Punjab, additionally stated the variety of farm fires is “very high this year and anger over farm bills is one of the major reasons“.

“Unavailability of labourers — many returned to their native states due to the COVID-19 pandemic — is also a reason why farmers are burning stubble to clear the fields quickly,” he added.

The IARI official stated the rise in the variety of incidents of stubble burning doesn’t imply that the coverage of offering farm gear for in-situ administration of crop residue has failed.

“The numbers of stubble burning incidents in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh tell a different story altogether. The figures have come down significantly,” he stated.

According to IARI’s knowledge, Haryana recorded 4,699 farm fires between October 1 and November 12 whereas Uttar Pradesh reported 2,288 such incidents through the interval, which is the bottom in each the states in the final 5 years.

Haryana recorded 5,807 incidents of stubble burning and Uttar Pradesh 2,653 cases through the corresponding interval final yr.

“In Punjab also, the number of cases was reducing every year till 2019. Only 2020 has been the ‘odd’ year out,” the IARI official stated.

According to a examine performed by IARI scientists in Tarn Taran and Amritsar districts of Punjab, stubble burning incidents between October 1 and October 10 in Amritsar elevated from 180 in 2019 to 515 in 2020 — an increase of about 2.9 occasions.

In Tarn Taran, the variety of stubble burning incidents elevated from 92 in 2019 to 341 in 2020 — an increase of about 3.7 occasions.

“It is estimated that the harvested area increased by 35,500 hectares in Amritsar and by 39,300 hectares in Tarn Taran by October 10 this year as compared to last year.

“It indicates a significant early harvesting of paddy in these two districts this year, which may be on account of early planting of paddy by about 7-10 days, an increase in the proportion of area under short-duration varieties, and a clear weather during 2020 as compared to a cloudy weather in 2019 during the same period,” the examine stated.

“By October 10, the proportion of burnt area to harvested area in Amritsar increased from 38 % in 2019 to 74.6 % in 2020. In Tarn Taran, it increased from 30.9 % in 2019 to 60.9 % in 2020,” it added.

Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh appeal to consideration through the paddy harvesting season between October 15 and November 15.

Farmers set their fields on hearth to rapidly clear off the crop residue left behind after harvesting paddy and earlier than cultivating wheat and potato. It is likely one of the essential reasons for the alarming spike in air pollution in Delhi-NCR.

Last yr, Punjab produced round two crore tonnes of paddy residue, of which 98 lakh tonnes have been burnt by farmers.

Farmers in Haryana burnt 12.3 lakh tonnes of the 70 lakh tonnes of paddy residue produced.

Despite a ban on stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana, farmers proceed to defy it as there’s a brief window between the harvesting of paddy and the sowing of wheat.

The excessive value of handbook or mechanical administration of straw is a major motive why farmers select to burn it.

State governments are offering a 50% to 80% subsidy to farmers and cooperative societies to purchase trendy farm gear for in-situ administration of paddy straw, putting in paddy straw-based energy crops and operating a large consciousness marketing campaign in opposition to stubble burning.